


Carrying The Torch

by TobuIshi



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Comfort, F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-16
Updated: 2010-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-09 11:39:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/86895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TobuIshi/pseuds/TobuIshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kim's interests as witch and meister conflict, Jackie is always there to pick up the slack.  No matter what.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carrying The Torch

"You're sick," Jackie says, giving her a sharp, critical look. "You're horribly sick and you can't make it to either one of them."

She's so decisive that Kim wavers for a moment. But she shakes her head, and sighs.

"No good," she says. "They'd check."

Jackie wrinkles her nose, skeptical. "The witches? It's not that unusual to miss a council..."

"No, but Shibusen would," Kim says. "It's Shibusen that's the problem."

"Feh," Jackie mutters. "Shibusen. It's only a briefing." The straight dark fall of her hair slopes gently back over her shoulders as she sits up, just a little, in her chair; the brightness of her eyes is all turned inward, thinking hard. Jackie hates complications, and she will take the first set of shears presented to her to this Pythagorean knot, and Kim knows it, which is why she can't participate in this conversation.

There is one solution, and she can't suggest it. Not to loyal Jackie, who would never think twice.

But Jackie is already there before her.

"I'll have to go," she says, matter-of-fact.

Kim swallows. "To Shibusen?"

"Of course not," Jackie says, reaching out to gently flick at the nearest ends of her short hair. "To the council. It's like you said," she continues, plowing over Kim's protests before she can voice them. "Shibusen is the problem. They can investigate me all they like for playing hooky. Just tell them I cut class to go shopping. I haven't got anything to hide."

"You will if they find out where you've gone!" Kim cries. Now that Jackie is spelling it out for her, it sounds a thousand times worse and her stomach is tying itself into terrible sour knots. "Alone at a witch's council...Jackie, it'll look like you're the--"

"But I'm not," Jackie points out, sensible to a fault. "They'll find that out at a glance, if it comes to that, and I can always work out a reason. If one of us has to be glanced at--"

"I know, I know!" Kim cries, arms wrapped tightly around herself as if she could somehow bolster her fledgling Soul Protect. All too fragile, best not scrutinized too closely, but still. Still, she is the Meister and she should stand beside her Weapon at every crisis, not send her into this terrible danger to cover her own sins. Jackie is a lantern, not a shield...

Slender arms slip gently around her waist, drawing her back against her weapon's body--almost too warm, as always--and Jackie rests her chin in the crook of her shoulder, tracing reassuring little circles on her stomach with the tips of her fingers. "I'll be all right," she murmurs in her ear, as soothing as solid sensibility can be. "Do you really think the witches will care enough to check, if I tell them you're ill and sent me? They'll probably turn me away at the door, without you to fetch me in. I'll be fine, Kim."

And Kim wants to believe it, knows that this is their best chance. Their only option.

"Jackie..." she whispers, grateful and terrified, and laces her fingers through her partners', holding her arms close around her as if she might be snatched away. And Jackie makes little soothing noises, rocking her until her nervous shakes settle somewhat--but not too much, she teases, because the note will look more convincing if Kim's handwriting wobbles a little before she patches on the raccoon-paw seal...

Kim will never feel right about the things she asks of her Weapon, the trouble she puts her through for her own selfish sake; but if Jackie feels resentment or regret, it doesn't come through in the soft touch of her hands. Which makes it that much harder, to gather up her bookbag and set off up the road to school, watching that bright light bobbing off into the night sky.

All for her. For some reason, Jackie will never say no.

The hardest part isn't letting her partner go. It's believing that she herself is worth such magnificent holding on.


End file.
